Schroder Investment Management Group Acquires 72,714 Shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX)

Schroder Investment Management Group raised its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) by 233.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 103,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,714 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company were worth $23,523,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Picton Mahoney Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 61.4% during the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 208 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Becton, Dickinson and Company news, EVP Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,666,808.01. The trade was a 20.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Shana Carol Neal sold 788 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.00, for a total value of $185,180.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,201 shares in the company, valued at $3,807,235. This trade represents a 4.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,984 shares of company stock worth $1,147,865. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Performance

Becton, Dickinson and Company stock opened at $226.55 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $231.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $231.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a 1-year low of $218.75 and a 1-year high of $251.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.05 billion, a PE ratio of 37.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 15.74% and a net margin of 8.47%. As a group, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.